The House Of York by @TerryTyler4 #Bookreview #TuesdayBookBlog

The House Of York is a modern day family drama loosely based on events from the English Wars of The Roses, pre Tudor times of the marriage between Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. The delight is that you can read it in a number of ways. A complex family drama, or a reminder of the twists and turns of another era in history, or a book about how generations often seem to repeat similar paths over and over. History buffs can remind themselves of the era with the link the author provides and the list at the back of the book of the characters and who they loosely mirror.

The book begins with the meeting of Lisa Grey, a widowed single Mum, and Elias York, of York wine bars and cafes, it is a meeting of souls and there follows a whirlwind romance. Elias has two brothers; Gabriel and Richard and a half sister, Megan, while Lisa has just one sister. The storyline follows the complex family relations of loves, lies and loss and is written from different character points of view. These characters come alive with their honesty as they tell us, the reader about themselves, it is as though they are talking to you the reader as if you are their best friend, sharing a coffee or a glass of wine.

Don’t be fooled by their honesty, these characters can be mean and ruthless and the book does dip into the darker side of humanity; jealousy, cruelty, power struggles and a sinister side which at times is an uncomfortable read. There is plenty of drama, tears and lies which puts this book into an addictive slot like the way we watch soap drama on TV. It catches, you, pulls you in and you just have to read the next page to see what happens, and then the next until there is no more, except a real question, “Just how far will a devious character go?”

I won’t say this book’s conclusion left me all warm a glowing, it’s not that type of book, but when a book leaves you thinking about it for hours afterwards, isn’t that the sign of a very good read? This book will appeal to many types of reader; historian fiction readers, contemporary drama enthusiasts, romance readers who like a bit more of a storyline with their romance and those who like a darker mysterious side to their reads.

This review is based on a free copy of the book given to me by the author.

Hi Rosie – good to see Terry here .. and I’ve seen her book and thought what a good read it would make … probably helping greatly with the history of the period too – we did live in muddled times back in the 1400s … so much tooing and frooing across the Channel. It’s on my TBB list .. cheers to you both – Hilary

Thank you, Hilary – I only wish I could have written a proper renactment, but I am not one for trilogies, and I couldn’t have made it feasible. The Wars of the Roses is complicated enough as it is, without trying to translate it to the 21st century!

Yes I agree with the comments. Almost as if Terry has invented a new genre which defies a name. Parallel history? Histfic modernised romance? No nothing sums it up, but whatever it is, it is magic and has proved to be very popular